Higakure
by SunaOkami
Summary: Naruto and friends are brought to a new Hidden Village that has finally revealed itself.
1. Higakure

**Higakure**

Once, years ago, a leader of a village just beginning had decided to keep his home secret from the rest of the world. He used his jutsu to make the village invisible to the eyes of any outsider. He would also send his greatest Shinobi out to gather information on other villages he'd base his on.

One night, one of his Jonin had taken their daughter to Sunagakure on a mission to gather some information. His daughter saw three children pass by. She waved at one, who immediately saw her. When he saw her smile, he thought they could be friends, and he went near her. Before he could take two steps, the man had pulled his child away into the darkness.

Years later, Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure is thirteen years old. After a day of training, the young boy arrives home and jumps into his bed, anticipating the sweet dreams that await him.

Elsewhere, a boy with spiky black hair and serious amber eyes sits in his blue mandarin jacket, waiting for his father. Beside him sits another boy and a girl. The other boy also has spiky black hair, yet he has calm, red eyes and wears a charcoal colored jacket over his red fishnet shirt. The girl sits with dark hair and golden brown eyes that give off a somber look. It is evident that she has insomnia. She wears a black shirt with fishnet sleeves. A man in white and gold enters the room.

"I took care of the barrier," he said in a calming voice.

"So they'll be here tomorrow, Father?" the boy asked.

"Yes, so get some rest. You've sent them the scrolls, so we're good now."

"Hehehe," the red boy laughed. "This will be fun, don't you think, Iki?"

"Perhaps," the blue boy nodded. The girl said nothing and they all went home.

"It is time to reveal our village to the rest of the world," said the man.

"Yes, father. '


	2. Welcome

**Welcome**

Naruto wakes up the next day to find a scroll beside him.

"What's this?" He opens it up and reads:

Dear Shinobi,

I welcome you to visit my village of Higakure, The Village Hidden in the Light. We have just come out of hiding and would like for you to participate in our upcoming fighting tournament. We will supply you with plenty of food and you will be staying in my mansion. I'm sure you will love it here. I left you a map to find us.

-"The Kage"

"Okay then...Well, it sure sounds like fun. Oh, what the heck, I'll go." Naruto quickly got dressed and packed and went to find his comrades.

"Hey, Naruto, I got one of those too, and so did the rest of our friends," said Sakura, pulling out the same scroll.

"Cool, the let's all go. How 'bout it, Kakashi-Sensei?" asked Naruto.

The man shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he said and they were off.

It didn't take long for them to get there, and they met up at the village gate, only to find Gaara's team.

"What are you doing here, Gaara?" he asked. "Did you get a scroll, too?" "

Yes, and I have nothing better to do, so here I am." Temari and Kankuro looked around.

"Where is that Kage guy?" Temari said in an angry voice.

Kankuro stared blankly at the gate. "Do you think they have good cheeseburgers here, or maybe some cute girls?" he asked. Temari sighed at her brother's stupidity. She fixed her hair, brushed her dark lavender skirt, and walked over to Shikamaru.

The man in white and gold appears.

"That must be him," said Kakashi, eyeing the cloak and headdress the man was wearing. The symbol on his head means "light".

"Welcome to my village," said the man. "I am Seirei Yajuu, the Kage. But enough about me, you must all be starving."

"You bet!!" yelled Choji.

"Then lets get you fed and find you each a room to occupy," said the Kage.

"Do you guys have ramen here?" asked Naruto.

"Of course."

"I love you," said Naruto, as he followed the mysterious Kage, who wore a gold mask on the lower part of his face.

"Let me introduce you to our finest young Shinobi. This here is my son, Iki. The boy in the jacket is Irezumi Seibutsu, the boy with the red hair is Kenshin Bushi, the girl with the lavender hair is Hime Kuraun, the girl in the black is Shinsei Mangetsu, and the boy with the dark eyes is Kyo Akuma. They will escort you to your rooms. Please follow one of them." the Kage walked off and Naruto followed Iki to find a room.

"Man, this place rocks," Naruto yelled as he ate ramen in the nice, soft bed in his chosen room. "I can't wait until tomorrow!!" He soon fell asleep dreaming of winning the tournament and becoming a foreign celebrity in the Light Village.

Meanwhile, Sakura wonders what Sasuke has been doing since he left Konoha. She missed him so much. His face, that frown...Which reminded her of the frown on Shinsei's face when she brought her to her room.

"Why does she look so angry?" Sakura pondered it for a moment or two, then went to bed.

"So what do you think about them, Shinsei?" asked Kyo. They were outside. It was dark and the only light came from the full moon.

"I told you not to talk to me," she responded.

"Can't you just forgive me for that already?" he asked, his dark hair in his brown, insomniac eyes.

"After what you did, I could never forgive you," she said, and walked away. Gaara was on the mansion's roof, watching them the entire time.

Tomorrow would be a worser day.


	3. Tournament

**Tournament**

The next day, Naruto woke up early. He heard noise in the large dining room in the center of the mansion. Everyone was entering to eat breakfast. The table was covered in all sorts of delicious foods, but the only food that caught the fox boy's eye was the beef and miso ramen. He drooled and quickly claimed his seat, which, of course, was right next to the tatsy noodles.

When everyone seemed to be seated, Sakura looked around.

"Hey, where is...Shinsei, was it? Shouldn't she be eating with the rest of us, huh?"

"Oh, don't worry about her," the Kage assured her.

"She's not really a people person," said Iki.

"Yeah, considering she's not completely a person," Irezumi added.

"Irezumi!" shouted Iki.

"Heh. Shinsei's such a freak," laughed Hime as she looked over at Kyo, blushing. He turned to her.

"Shut up."

"But-"

"Just keep your mouth shut," muttered Kenshin.

"What do you mean she's not completely a human?" questioned Sakura.

"Oh, nothing! Don't listen to Irezumi! He's a complete idiot with an IQ of 5!," said Iki, nervously.

"Oh...How sad," Sakura responded.

"He's kidding!!" yelled Irezumi.

"No, I mean it's sad she's not here spending time with us."

Irezumi fell back in his chair.

"That's a releif. I actually thought you believed him there. But, Shinsei is 100 dem- I mean human. Not a demon or part demon or something like that if that's what you think!! Ahahahaha!!" Irezumi was freaking out.

"He's just trying to scare you guys, so don't listen to him. She's no demon," Iki blurted out calmly. Naruto was getting a suspicious feeling about the emo girl who happened to be absent. _It is possible_, he thought.

"Anyway, the tournament will now begin. Follow me to the arena," said the Kage, hoping to change the subject. Naruto trailed right behind him as if he was his father. They ended up in a huge stadium, filled with cheering citizens. The whole village must have attended this. The Kage brought everyone to the arena balconies and and sat down with a list of names.

"Attention! The first match will now begin!" The crowd screamed as they heard their leader say those words, then became silent, awaiting the beginning battle.

"The first match is Naruto Uzumaki verses Kenshin Bushi! Begin!"

"Alright!" Naruto screamed. He climbed over the balcony bar and tripped, falling all the way down.

"Heh, what a loser," snickered Kenshin, who landed perfectly on the ground after he jumped.

The tournament had finally began.


	4. Match 1 Begins

**Match #1 Begins**

Naruto quickly got up and laughed it off.

"Now let's do this!" he yelled at Kenshin.

"You're such a loser!" the red haired ninja yelled back.

"You remind me of someone...and you both piss me off!!" screamed Naruto.

"Talking trash won't get you anywhere. Heh, fighting won't get you anywhere either."

"What are you talking about? I can take you any day!" Naruto went on.

"I'm not your average ninja, kid. I'm also a samurai."

"Doesn't matter!! I'll kick your-Ack!!"

"Naruto!" screamed Sakura. Hinata was shaking. Naruto's right arm was cut by the long, slender sword that Kenshin drew from his back.

"How's it feel?" said Kenshin with a grin on his face.

"Tha-that won't stop me", Naruto murmered as he got up from the ground. "You'll have to do better than tha-Ahh!!"

Kenshin had created multiple clones to attack Naruto on all sides, from every direction. He was covered in cuts and scratches. They were small and not life threatening, but the pain was almost unbearable. However, the next time he was attacked, he used the Substitution Jutsu. Kenshin looked around for him, when all of a sudden, Naruto used his signiture move, the art of the doppelganger, the Shadow Clone Jutsu, resulting into the Uzumaki Barrage.

"Ahh!!" Kenshin was on the ground, writhing in pain.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto bragged, blowing kisses everywhere like in the Chunin Exams.

"Good job, but you know..." Kenshin said.

"What?" Naruto looked down.

"You don't need to stand on me"

"Oops, sorry." Naruto got off of his back and helped him up. "You're probably gonna need a chiropractor," whispered Naruto.

"Next match is Sakura Haruno verses Hime Kuraun! Begin!"

As soon as Sakura heard the Kage say her name, she jumped down with anticipation.

_Cha! I'll destroy this girl!_ yelled Inner Sakura.

"I can't lose. I fight to prove myself to someone precious to me!" exclaimed Hime.

Sakura thought of how she would be fighting to prove herself too. To Naruto, Kakashi, Ino, and though he wasn't there, most of all, Sasuke Uchiha.


	5. The Power of the Light

**The Power Of Light**

Sakura was ready for anything Hime would throw at her. Except for what Hime just did. Using a hand sign similar to that of the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu, Hime's hands started to glow a pinkish red.

"Art of Infatuation: Immobilization!" she yelled out.

Before the pink-haired kunoichi knew it, she was binded by a pink chain connected to her neck and limbs.

"What? But how?"

"Heh, after I made that hand sign, I motioned my arms in a gesture that looked like I was going to throw a kunai or shuriken at you. You were ready to dodge, but instead I threw an invisible chain that can only be seen by members of my family, except when we land the attack perfectly. Only then the victims see it."

Sakura didn't know what to do. She could barely move and the shackles kept tightening. It felt like Gaara stuck her to that tree all over again.

"You won't beat me. I'm going to win this for my Kyo-Kun and there's nothing you can do to change the outcome of this battle! Just give up, before you're crushed to death," said Hime in a cruel tone.

Sakura felt like she was going to cry.

"Sakura! I gotta stop the match and save her!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Don't count her out just yet," Kakashi replied, stopping Naruto from tripping over the balcony bar again. "Besides, you might break your leg the next time you fall."

Sakura calmed herself down. Her inner self's thoughts would only frusterate her more, so she tried to think up a way to break the chain. _Could there actually be a way to make it through this_, she thought. Then, she remembered.

Fighting for someone that is precious to you will make you stronger than anything else could make you. She knew that she was fighting to prove herself, but more importantly, she wanted to make it out of there so she could one day find her Sasuke.

"I won't lose!" she yelled, and she broke the chain simply by yanking it as hard as she possibly could.

"No!! Ahhhh!!" sqealed Hime, as Sakura pounded her with a barrage of fists that sent her flying to the wall. The medics picked her up and put her on a stretcher. She blacked out. They figured she wouldn't wake up for a while.

"I guess I overdid it," Sakura said in a sweet voice. However, the Inner Sakura was shouting her signature "Cha" at this very moment.

"Alright! Way to go Sakura!" Naruto shrieked.

"I told you. I knew she could do it", Kakashi said, smirking underneath his mask. The crowd went wild. They soon settled down for the next fight, hoping for an even better one.

"Match three is Kiba Inuzuka verses Irezumi Seibutsu! Begin!"

Once Kiba picked up his name from the Kage's voice with his highly sensitive ears, he and Akamaru leaped as fast as they could over the balcony bar.

"Yahoo!" he yelled. In his mind, he kept telling himself that he would win. I

rezumi met up with him at the bottom of the arena. He pulled out the giant calligraphy brush from his back and faced it towards the canine duo.

"What're you gonna do? Paint me?" Kiba said in his rather cocky voice.

"No", Irezumi replied. "I'm gonna tatoo you. Your name's Kiba, right? Then I'm sure you'll love it if I cover you and your dog with some bite marks!" he said in an even cockier tone.

Irezumi squatted to the ground and started to scribble small creatures in the dirt with his brush. "

Attack, Akamaru!" yelled Kiba.

"Arf! Arf!"

Akamaru bit the boy, but he just turned out to be an ink clone, which Akamaru frantically tried to rub out the black substance so it wouldn't stain his fur.

"Akamaru, are you okay?"

"Life Giving Jutsu!" shouted Irezumi, who was standing right behind Kiba. The drawings on the ground had suddenly risen up into the air.

"I don't believe it!" Kiba screamed .

"Believe it!" Naruto yelled from the balcony. "Sorry, man, I just couldn't resist!" Kiba growled.

"Shut up, you-Aw, man! What are these things?! They're biting!! Gah!"

The ink drawings had bitten Kiba all over, and Akamaru as well.

"Give up. Those things biting you inject poison. That stuff's deadly," Irezumi said.

"Yeah, whatever!" Kiba said, rising to his feet after falling from shock.

"I'm serious. I don't really want you to die, I just want to show you guys what I'm capable of." Irezumi spoke in a serious tone now, which frightened everyone. Kiba was starting to believe him.

"So...You're not bluffing?" Kiba asked. "...Then...I give up. We forfeit. I'm not gonna let my dog die."

Kiba picked Akamaru up. The poor dog whimpered.

"Take them to the infirmary!" yelled the Kage. The medics brought Kiba to the exit and off to the infirmary as the village leader commanded.

The crowd began to boo, but as they heard the Kage say the next match included his young and handsome son, they began to cheer Iki's name. It seemed like nobody in the entire stadium heard Neji Hyuga's name. That is, except for a couple of the teams in the tournament. While Shino and Kurenai continued to worry about Kiba and Akamaru, Hinata averted her attention to Neji as he landed into the fighting area.

"Go, Neji!!" yelled Guy, Lee, and Tenten with great enthusiasm.

"I'll win this battle. This has been predetermined. It's destiny," Neji said, facing Iki with a grim look on his face.

Iki just smiled and said, "Give me your best shot."

Neji came at him full force, shouting, "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

Iki was hit hard with the attack. He evaded it quickly, ready for more.

"I've blocked some of your Chakra points, good for you, dodging part of it, but the flow will be messed up if I hit a few more." Iki came to thinking that Neji talked too much. He caught his breath, and made that "come at me" gesture with his hand. Neji ran straight at him, thinking he was terribly weakened. Iki poked him on the head with two fingers and he dropped to the ground screaming.

"What is _THAT_?! AAAHHH!!"

"Brother", Hinata murmered. Her eyes started to water.

"It's over, Father. He's going to need therapy." Iki stared up at the Kage while Neji was rolling on the ground balling.

"I see. Yes. Iki wins. Next match: Gaara verses Shinsei! Begin!"

The crowd was shouting in joy for Iki. Tenten followed Neji to the infirmary. Gaara looked over at where his opponent was standing. She had already moved to the center ring. He disappeared within his sand and reappeared in front of her.

"Go easy on her! She is a girl!" Kankuro shouted over the balcony. Temari slapped him in the back of the head. This match should get very interesting.


	6. Precious To Us

**Precious To Us**

Gaara looked over at Shinsei, who stared back with an angry glare. He, trying to change the murderous ways of his past, didn't want to kill her. He would only use the Sand Coffin if he could absolutely not win, and he would only use a weaker version, inflicting just enough pain for his opponent to give in. The match had begun.

He sent sand from his gourd flying towards Shinsei. She didn't move. She didn't know what to expect. However, a mass of some black substance had risen from the ground to protect her. Everyone in the audience leaned in for a closer look.

"Can it be?" Kankuro asked his sister. "

Just like Gaara's Sand shield, only...It's made of-"

"Shadows. Like my techniques," Shikamaru finished, Looking over at Temari.

"I didn't need for you to finish my sentence, but yes," Temari smiled back at him. The quickly turned their attention back to the ring.

Stunned, Gaara stood there. He wondered if the defense came automatically, like his would. Caught off guard, Shinsei bombarded him with small balls of shadows, slicing him like a knife. The motion was as fast as the kick Lee hit Gaara with way back during the Chunin Exams. He winced, then began questioning the fact that he could defeat her. It was like fighting a double, and it went on for a long time, as a see-saw match.

A while later, Gaara could no longer take it. He was tire and frusterated, Chakra running low.

"When will this end? How can you keep up with me? And we're so even...," Gaara yelled at Shinsei.

He then hit her hard in the face, cutting her cheek, blood spilling so fresh and crimson, falling to the ground like water. She stared hard at the ground. Could she possibly bleed to death? No. She would not let that happen.

"So much blood," she whispered, eyes watering.

"Now you'll spill some!!"

Shinsei sent all the shadowy masses in the ring at Gaara, full force. He counterattacked, sand and darkness hitting each other in mid-air. The masses didn't move. They stayed there, floating.

Suddenly, they moved slightly. One was eventually going to overpower the other.

"If those goes on, I'll...," Gaara said angrily. He didn't get to continue. The shadows enveloped the sand.

"Am I going to...?" Shinsei said softly. Gaara was sure both masses would combine and hit him.

It hit Shinsei.

"What?!" Irezumi yelled over the balcony.

"No! How can it be?!" screamed Iki. Shinsei was on her back, on the ground in pain.

"I-I..." she couldn't move. Kyo appeared in front of her.

"You. Stupid! Get lost! I can still fight! I can-"

"Stop the match!" the Kage interrupted Shinsei. "Take her to the infirmary, stat!" the village leader yelled. "The tournament will continue. I'm sorry, but Shinsei is too precious to us to risk her life," he said.

Images of Gaara's sad past filled his head. This event reminded him of his fight with Lee. Not the one where he had helped him against Kimimaro of the Sound, rather the one where they had fought each other, when Guy stopped the match, saying something about Lee similar to what the Kage said about Shinsei.

"Why? Why again? I...," Gaara's head started to hurt.

"What's going on?!" Temari shouted. "He did nothing wrong! He was just trying to win is all!"

"Too precious...I'm going to go visit her at the infirmary," Kankuro said to her. Gaara walked slowly up the stairs to balcony. He had won the match, but his heart hurt too much to care. He felt the world was against him all over again.


	7. Monsters

**Monsters**

Kankuro had entered the hospital in search of Shinsei. He knew a person like her would definitely hold a grudge against someone who hurt them in some way, shape, or form. In this case, it was physically. He didn't want bad blood between her and his brother, especially because she was a fairly pretty girl, and he didn't want Gaara ruining a chance to get to know her better.

He had recently passed rooms that included Kenshin being treated by a chiropractor, Hime with bandages on her head, Kiba draining poison out with kunai, and Neji getting mental therapy. He finally found Shinsei's room. She was asleep until he opened the door and entered. She quickly woke up, covered in bandages. Her cheeks were streaked red. Not from blood; tears, perhaps?

"Hey," he began. "Are you okay?"

The girl didn't bother to turn her head towards him, only seeing him out of the corner of her left eye. She had a pale, grim look on her face.

"What do you want? Why would you care about me? Why would anyone..." Shinsei stopped talking. She heard others about to enter the room. She turned red and closed her eyes. Temari entered the room.

"Kankuro?" His sister walked in slowly, cautiously. Gaara followed her inside. When Shinsei opened her eyes, only to see the boy who injured her, she held her head in her hands, growling like a beast.

"Stupid...Tanuki..." Shinsei said quietly. Everyone in the room could still hear her though. They were in shock.

"How...How does she know about Shukaku?" Temari said, horrified. Kankuro couldn't even speak.

Gaara said nothing as well, just studying her eyes. They were filled with pain and hatred, as his did. Shinsei got out of the bed with a zombie-like expression on her face. She walked over to the window, opened it up, and leaped right out.

"Wait, where are you going?!" Kankuro yelled. He was worried about what was about to happen. He decided to follow her.

"Kankuro, no!" Temari screamed. She didn't want him to get hurt. Gaara looked at her and nodded as if to say, "Let's go too." They jumped out the window with fear.

Back at the tournament arena, Kyo had sensed something. Something bad. He quickly left the stadium, Naruto following in curiosity. He wondered where this boy would lead him. They ended up in a giant forest in the village. There, Naruto found Gaara and Temari standing behind their brother. He was staring at Shinsei, who was lying on the ground. Kyo winced, then dropped to the ground. He was having flashbacks, horrible, devastating flashbacks...

_Kyo is six years old. He was playing with his siblings, Kenshiki, the oldest, Hisakata, the sister, and Kodomo, the baby. Then, the Kage had ordered him to pay him a visit. When he entered the mansion, his classmate, Shinsei, whom he admired for her outgoing playfulness, was there as well._

"You two are so special," started the Kage. "Within you are the powers of two okami demons that terrorized the village long ago. These demons can talk, and one came searching for the other, which was already sealed at the time, telling us she wanted her mate. With that, we believe that if the demons are not together and at peace, we think that they will take over and destroy us all. So, in turn, you two are to be married before one of you dies."

Shinsei began to cry. The usually happy girl had a crush on Iki at the time. She wanted to be free.

"Why?! Why?! Why do I have to marry _him_?!" she screamed. "I barely even know him! I want to do what _I _want!" she sobbed.

This broke Kyo's heart. He walked home in tears.

The next day, he woke up to see his parents arguing.

"Yukai, we have no choice! We have to have them executed! They're a threat to the entire village! Let's get it over with while they're young!" shouted his father.

"No, Ui, we can't! I won't let that happen!" his mother shrieked.

Then, his father hit her clear across the face. He loved his mother so much, the abuse killed him inside. Shadows took over, and in the next second, Ui was dead.

This affected the entire Akuma clan. No longer able to live without her love, Yukai attempted to kill her child. Frightened, Kyo's demon took over. A dagger was swung down and blood was on the ground. The blade was dropped. The okami had crushed the mother's head in its mouth. This just caused Kyo's family more pain.

To get away from the world, years later, Kyo faked his death on a mission with his and Iki's team. Shinsei, angry that she probably would destroy her home, killed the ninja that looked like he had killed Kyo, as well as his minions. When Shinsei found out about what he did just to be isolated, she cried. He believed his future was forseen. Given the name "Kyo" meant something.

_"All I ever do is make people cry..."_

After thinking about his past, Kyo began to shake. Shinsei had just changed. Her hair spiked outward, her nails became claws, teeth to fangs. Her left side was covered in gray-brown fur and the eye's whites turned black, with a beastly pupil. She had also grown a black, fire-like tail. He knew that she was going to try and kill Gaara for revenge. The okami demons sensed each other's emotions, and Kyo began to transform too, wanting protect Shinsei.


	8. Naruto's Fan

**Naruto's Fan**

Shinsei kept on transforming. Naruto, reminded of his fight against Gaara and Shukaku, knew exactly what to do. He grinned.

"I-Inu-Tori-Saru-Hitsuji, was it?" Naruto went over his hand signs and bit his thumb, and soon after he had summoned Gamabunta.

"C'mon, Cheif Toad! Let's beat this demon!!" Naruto yelled.

"How do we know what she is capable of? I've never heard of this demon before", Gamabunta responded.

Naruto thought that Shinsei's demon would be a lot like Gaara's. He decided to wait for the demon to fully take over, and then he would wake up the spiritual medium somehow. That is, if there was one in the first place.

"Just wait 'til it totally takes over. Until then, we just gotta dodge her attacks", Naruto told the toad. He laughed as if he had already won the battle.

Temari, afraid, stood, hiding behind Kankuro in case anything were to happen. Gaara stood there, not interfering, not moving at all. He just concentrated on Naruto's face. He seemed confident, but still...

Suddenly, Kyo rose from the ground.

"It's not that simple", Kyo began. "Dodging those attacks, well, it certainly won't be easy. And how can you face someone with so much hate in them, someone who's been hurt by almost everyone around them, and still believe you will win?"

Naruto snickered and was now grinning from ear to ear. He looked up at Kyo, changing as Shinsei was.

"Because", he answered, "It's happened before." He looked over at Gaara and slanted his eyes as he usually did.

Shinsei attacked him with claws made of shadows. Naruto, unattentive, was caught in between them. The sand ninja had managed to evade the attack, and Kyo shielded himself with his own shadows.

Shinsei was now fully transformed, rising above the trees as a gigantic wolf. It's flaming tail moved through the air, ready to burn something. The claws turned black with energy and the monster howled. It was heard throughout the village, and the Kage had ordered eveyone to find shelter.

There was a highlighted patch on the wolf's head. Shinsei's upper body came out of it like water.

"I knew it!" yelled Naruto with joy. "I'm gonna be a hero all over again!" He climbed onto Gamabunta and they immediately used the Transformation Jutsu to become the Nine-Tailed Fox. It dashed towards the other demon, who was grinning. Shinsei had made a hand sign.

"Play Possum Jutsu", she murmered, and her body slumped. The Shinobi watching had hid themselves among the forest. The Okami had taken over.

"NII-OKAMI HAS ARRIVED!" she roared. "NOW YOU WILL ALL DIE, STARTING WITH THE BOY THAT COULD'VE KILLED MY HOST! IF MY VESSEL DIES, I DO, AND I WILL NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!!"

The Okami headed towards Gaara, smelling him, ready to rip him to parts. The Fox attacked her, grasping her with fangs and claws. It then changed back into the giant amphibian and the blonde boy, anxious to save the day. The Okami pulled away, and Naruto leaped onto its head.

"FOOL! I'LL JUST SHAKE YOU OFF!" she screamed.

"Heh, if I can stay on Chief Toad 'til dawn, I can easily stay on you for a minute or two, and that's more than enough time I need!" Naruto laughed.

He climbed up to Shinsei, then knocked her on the top of the head. She immediately woke up from the pain and the Okami collapsed into darkness, slowly disappearing to the ground.

Kankuro caught her in the air and placed her gently on the ground. She blushed, then stood right up. She walked over to Naruto and stared into his deep blue eyes.

"You beat me so fast," she said bewildered. Train with me," she demanded.

"What? Just because I beat you? Gaara did too."

She stared hard at him.

"True, but he did not defeat me in demon form. Train me, Fox, or I'll-"

Shinsei fell to the ground. She needed to recover. That head injury was giving her a migrane.

"Well, okay, but let's wait until you heal", he told her.

"I am honored to be defeated by such a strong opponent. How did you do it?" she asked him.

"Eh, it's happened before, just past experience," he laughed.

The Kage, thinking about the experience with the demons was not something they wanted other villages to know about. He gave the young ninja of Higakure black collars with sealed silver buckles, which were to be distributed to the visiting ninja before they left for home. Their final day was coming soon, and it would end so strangely, yet saddening as well.


	9. Goodbye

**Goodbye**

Peace had returned to the village. Naruto taught Shinsei many techniques, and they became good friends. In fact, Naruto befriended almost everyone in Higakure. Everyone seemed to be making friends. Shinsei seemed to be especially close to Kankuro and Temari, though she still appeared to hate Gaara, which didn't seem to bother him, at least not on the outside.

The visiting ninja spent the rest of their days with Iki and Kyo's teams. They even met Iki, Irezumi, and Shinsei's sensei, Tori, who was a tall, bold woman with light brown hair, green eyes, a red vest, and a knack for having fun. She was ordered by the Kage to tell them something very important.

"Everyone", she began. "The visiting Shinobi are to head home by tomorrow. There are no exceptions." she finished.

Naruto groaned. He was having fun in the Light Village and didn't want to leave. Not yet, at least. Everyone went to bed early after they had packed everything.

Naruto knew he was going to miss everything. His new friends, the places he went, the things he did. Every single bit of it. He wanted to disobey the Kage and stay for a while more. He thought of the place as a second home, even. Naruto only missed a few people from Konoha, as well as some places like Ichiraku Ramen. He wished he could change the Kage's mind.

When Naruto woke up, he took off his pajamas, slipped into his orange outfit, and headed down the mansion's stairs to the dining room. There was no food on the table, no one sitting there even. He went outside and saw some of his friends waiting for him. He talked to Iki for a while.

"So this is it?" Naruto asked. "Are we ever gonna meet again?"

Iki looked down at the green grass, swaying in the breeze.

"Possibly someday we'll all cross paths again," he told him. Naruto looked up at the sky, beautiful and endless.

"I hope so", he answered.

Each team wondered around the village one more time. Nobody had planned to leave so soon. Never intended, and now, never wanted it to end this way. Especially Naruto. He shook hands with the Kage's son. Kakashi put his hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked up at him, frowning. He then realized that he would come back here again, no matter what. He smiled, then went back into the mansion to grab his things.

Sakura was happy until just now. Leaving meant she would have to return to her old ways, with nothing to do but worry about Sasuke. _Was he still alive? What was he doing? Why?_ She began to cry, but her fellow kunoichi, including Hime, came to consol her.

"Dry your eyes", she said. "It'll be okay, Sakura." Sakura nodded, then wiped her tears away from her face.

Kankuro ran around with his siblings, searching for Shinsei. He wanted to say goodbye. If he never saw her again, he'd have to see her at least one more time. Temari wanted to see her as well, and Gaara didn't seem to care. He and Shinsei had hated each other for a long time since he had first gotten there. However, there was something about her.

Naruto had bid his fairwells and was heading back to Konohagakure with his Leaf aquaintences. He would come back soon. Before he exited the village's gate, Iki gave his team some of the collars to wear. He told them to put them on as soon as possible. Naruto noticed that they wouldn't come off after they were put on comfortably, but, being a nice souvenoir, he didn't seem to care. He looked back one more time at the village, then smiled and walked away.

When Kankuro finally found Shinsei, he said goodbye, sweetly. Temari embraced her and said goodbye as well.

"So you finally get to leave here. I couldn't wait," Shinsei said rudely at the boy she had grown to hate so much.

"Yes, same here", he answered back, slightly smiling. The smile sparked something into Shinsei's mind.

"...You're the boy from Suna I saw when I was six!" she blurted out loud. Suddenly, Gaara remembered her too. It was so long ago, but he amazingly remembered everything. How she smiled and waved, then disappeared. He laughed.

"I remember," he said, then almost walked off. Shinsei handed him three black collars. One for him and the other two for his brother and sister. "Put them on before you go," she told him, then walked away. Gaara looked back, then at the objects in his hand.

"C'mon, Gaara!" Temari yelled. He obeyed his sister and left.

And with that, the collars soon loosened and came off. All of Naruto, Gaara, and all the other ninja's memories of Higakure were erased.


End file.
